Festival supports House Martins on Texel in 2018

House Martins still breed in a number of places on Texel. During the summer, the species can be seen regularly on the island as can their characteristic mud nests under the eaves of houses. Nevertheless, House Martins are having a difficult time and for this reason the species has been chosen as the Dutch ‘species of the year 2018’ by Sovon and BirdLife Netherlands.
House Martins are in steady decline and breeding in fewer and fewer places. Still, many people are still knocking their nests off of houses as they don’t like the mess. By highlighting the plight of this charismatic little black-and-white bird, we hope to be able to better assess their current breeding status and also identify practical measures to help their success.
During the 2018 Wadden Islands Bird Festival we aim to raise money for House Martins on Texel, through the birdwatching excursions and the Texel Big Day. Our goal is to take concrete action towards increasing the nesting possibilities for House Martins and to provide them with areas for collecting mud to build their nests; this is especially important during dry periods.